The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-14
THE BLUE HENS CHICKENS.

en- Line.
"Wall, fur mcrcy's sake, look thar,
pap" Said woman. dressed in faded
calico and dim bingham. The old fell
low stopped and the woman pointed at a
n lot of colored eggs which had been
left over from Easter, and which the
grocer had temptngly arranged in
front OF his store. Look thar the
woman repeated, pointing at the eggs.
"They air a new wrinkle on my
HON" said the old fellow, taking up
one of the eggs and examining it.
"Thesc here" he added, addressing the
grocer who approached, "muster been
laid by one NV the ole blue hens
chickens"
"They are descendants from the old
blue hen, sure enough" the grocer re-
pled, who showed an accommodating
quickness to tell lie, either
through courtesy or with an eye to
business.
"You don't say So"
Yes, sir, and / bought them for Mr..
Garland, who sent me word some time
ago to get him a few if l possibly
could.
"Wall, Gus ought to know whit
good chickens all"
''He undoubtedly does"
"Wall, I've heard about the old blue
hens chickens all my lie, but this is
the fust time l ever seed any NV the
aigs."
"They are not very plentiful now"
said the grocer. ''ln fact, they are
bought up by the agents of monopolies
and sent north for the use of rich rail
road men,"
THE chickens, Ireckon, lay over the
common run of fowls"
"As much, sir, as day lays over
night"
"Whut special advantage have they
gotP"
"Well, they lay three times day,
for one thing"
Now, look here, you don't mean
that.
81 reckon he do, pap" the woman
declared. ii know in reason that he
do, fur Aunt Caroline Welsh that had
some in Moth Kliny, told me jest befo'
she died that they wuz the outlayenist
things she ever seed an says she, 'Ev-
erline, l do b'leve that the aigs is fresh
err than the aigs NV these here common
chickens.
"She was right" said the grocer.
"Mr Garland tells me that the eggs
will keep for years without spelling,
but" he added, laughingly, ''if he
don't mind he will find that they don't
keep so we'll after all, for if he doesn't
come after them pretty soon I'll sell
them. A business man can't afford to
let his money lie idle, you know"
That's fact" the farmer replied.
Now whut mout they be wuth?"
"Well, l hardly know. Where do
you livep'
"On Saline river, about two days ride
from here"
'Do you come to town very often?"
''Fust time wuZ ever here.
a thought that if you came to town
very often might engage you to bring
me lot of the chickens when
they hatch. Tell you what I'll
do. I'll let you have all six of them
them for sixty cents"
Amt that putty heavy price,"
"Oh, no, pap" said the woman.
"Jest think NV chickens that lay aigs-
fresh ones at that-three times day.
"All right said the old fellow, haul
ing out the toe of an old sock and shak-
ing few dimes from it; "rll take
'em. Shore they'll hatch?"
Hatch! Why you can cover them
up with an old straw hat and they Il
hatch. Much oblige. Well, call again. ="
When the grocer went back into the
store, he slapped himself. laughed up
roarously and then said:
"Itmay be wrong to cheat this way.
but don't believe we are called upon
to have sympathy for such ignorant
people; and, besides, honest old farm
er as he looks. he'd cheat me in min
ute if he could"
Several weeks later an old fellow
drove up to the grocery store and asked
a man who came out to the curbstone
il he wanted to buy any guinea chick